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Sun Health Radio Hour Guest, Feb. 17, 2013

Elizabeth Reich is President and Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish® Arizona, the founding chapter of Make-A-Wish®, the international wish granting organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions enriching the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

As leader of the founding chapter, Elizabeth has helped to grow Make-A-Wish Arizona so the chapter could grant a record 288 wishes in fiscal year 2012. In addition, she has built awareness of the chapter’s mission and vision to increase donations 8 percent annually. The chapter continues to share its vision of making every eligible child’s wish come true through its signature events, including the 2013 Walk for Wishes presented by AAA on March 10 at Tempe Marketplace; its dedication to building a volunteer team beyond its current 549 members; and, its commitment to corporate giving, including strong relationships with locally-headquartered Go Daddy, Isagenix, Insight and Sun Health.

Prior to joining Make-A-Wish, Elizabeth was Vice President of Advancement for Childhelp, the nation’s largest non-profit organization providing prevention, treatment, and advocacy for victims of child abuse.

She also served as CEO of VisionQuest 20/20, the nation’s only non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to establishing a national vision screening program for U.S. school children.

Previous to VisionQuest 20/20, Elizabeth was the Vice President of Development for the Banner Health Foundation, where she had responsibility for all fund development at two of Banner Health’s 11 Phoenix hospitals, including providing oversight of a capital campaign to support the building of a Cardon Children’s Medical Center.

She has also worked, during the administration of Governor Jane Dee Hull, as the Executive Director of the office now known as The Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families. That office was charged with implementing the Governor’s initiatives to assist communities and neighborhoods address common problems. The office consisted of the Governor’s Divisions for: Women, Children, Prevention of Family Violence, Drug Policy, Volunteerism, Character Education, and Community Outreach. She served as an advisor to Governor Hull on those issues and as a member of her Policy Council.

Throughout her career she has been an active volunteer and credits her experiences serving on many boards for offering her the best preparation for her professional positions. She and her husband, Frank, have been married for 37 years and are the proud parents of three sons and five perfect grandchildren.